Ski and snowboard deal: Free lift ticket on your birthday at Big Bear

Big Bear Mountain Resorts has the perfect birthday gift for skiers and snowboarders: a free lift ticket. That free day on the slopes sounds fantastic to me — unless your birthday falls in July. Bummer.

The deal: Winter babies ski or snowboard for free at Bear Mountain and Snow Summit on their birthdays and, yes, that means the actual day. All that’s required is a photo ID. The lift ticket is good at both Southern California resorts, which are a few miles apart at Big Bear Lake in the San Bernardino Mountains.

Current conditions: The two resorts are just starting to get their snow legs, and this weekend’s storm, which dropped up to 5 inches of snow, helped a lot. Snow Summit opened Nov. 13 and remains open. Bear Mountain plans to open Wednesday, and its website reports that cooler temperatures and fresh powder are creating good snow-making conditions. Stay tuned to the resort websites for up-to-date conditions.

Contact: Snow Summit and Bear Mountain, (909) 866-5766